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File a Title IX Complaint with the OCR

Thousands of persons have filed Title IX complaints with the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. These persons have made complaints pertaining to athletics, scholarships, sexual assault, and other issues — see figure below: 

SAVE encourages persons to file a Title IX complaint if you believe you have been discriminated against on the basis of your sex. If you are considering such an action, SAVE offers these pointers:

  • Any person — student, parent, attorney, or other concerned person — can submit a complaint.
  • Before filing a complaint with OCR, first try to resolve the problem through the school’s grievance process.
  • Review the OCR’s Complaint Discrimination Form to get an idea of the information you’ll need to provide.
  • If you need help in preparing the complaint, feel free to contact a lawyer or the appropriate OCR enforcement office.
  • Your complaint should include the following information:
    • Who was discriminated against and how
    • By what individual or organization
    • When the discrimination occurred
    • Who was harmed
    • Name, address, and telephone number of the complainant(s)
    • Name, address, and telephone number of the school
    • How you would like your school to resolve Title IX violation
    • Other relevant information
  • The complaint must be filed within 180 days of the date of the alleged discrimination, unless the time is lengthened for good cause. If you first submit your complaint to the school, the complaint to OCR must be filed within 60 days after the last action of the institutional grievance process.
  • Submit the complaint either using the pre-prepared OCR electronic complaint submission form or by email. There is no charge to file the complaint.
  • OCR keeps the identity of complainants confidential except to the extent necessary to carry out the purposes of the Title IX law, or unless disclosure is required under the Freedom of Information Act or Privacy Act. For greater assurances of privacy, request another person to submit the complaint on your behalf.

Complaints are assigned to the OCR Regional Office responsible for your university:

 

The Office for Civil Rights maintains a web page with additional information on its Complaint Process:

For further assistance, contact a qualified attorney. This  information does not constitute legal advice.